After a day-long post and re-post, tweet and re-tweet frenzy of Scott Burnside’s assertion that Sergei Zubov is probably leaving, I still wasn’t ready to think that it was anything new that we didn’t know last week. (Plus, I am skeptical of ESPN’s hockey coverage.)

Last week we knew that Zubie was checking out what he could get as a free agent, and even that if the KHL was his only option, he would consider it. We knew that the Dallas Stars, specifically Joe Nieuwendyk, were going to wait a month to see how well he’s really recovered from his injuries.

But since I believe whatever Mike Heika says, I have to start thinking that maybe he is about to leave us.

“We have made good progress in talks with several teams, and I believe we’ll get something done soon,” [Zubov's agent, Jay] Grossman said. “I can’t say it’s going to be the end of the week or anything, but there is interest out there and we’re going to pursue that interest and look for the situation that is best for Sergei.”

There’s still a chance that he could decide that the team and city that he’s loved all this time is better at a discount than a team he doesn’t know at a premium. But I guess it’s time to admit that it might happen.

Sometimes it’s hard for me to believe that Zubie played anywhere else besides Dallas. He’s ours. I don’t want to see him play anywhere else.

One of my favorite stories was when somebody mentioned the trade with Pittsburgh for Zubov to Craig McTavish, he asked who we traded for him. “Kevin Hatcher.” “Ouch.”

While I don’t want to see him go, I’m not calling for Nieuwy to pay him whatever he wants, and I’m not calling for Zubie to stay in Dallas even if he doesn’t want to. I think Nieuwy is smart to make sure he’s healthy, but I do think Zubie can be great again if he’s really cured of all his hip problems. The question is whether he is. I think an incentive-laden deal for much less than he made last year is perfectly fair.

On the other hand, I wouldn’t not blame Sergei one bit for going elsewhere for more money. Or even for the same money, but guaranteed.

Zubov hasn’t been injury-prone his whole career, only the last couple of years. There’s every reason to believe that he’ll be back to normal. Maybe not his 30-year-old normal, but his 40-year-old normal would be better than most.

There’s also every reason to believe that this particular type of injury is never going to go completely away.

My hope is that he stays, but I’m starting to get the feeling he might not. I’ll still cheer like crazy for him if he ever comes to town with another team.

But my hope is that he stays.

Philippe Boucher had his Day with the Stanley Cup on the 4th of July. He took it to his home town for a parade and to his “cottage” on the lake for a party with friends and family. He even took it through the drive-thru at McDonalds.

You can read about it on the Hockey Hall of Fame’s Stanley Cup Journal page. You can see some pictures in the gallery, too. (They’re mixed in with other Cup days, but they’re close to the beginning.)

The tradition of letting each player and most of the staff from the Stanley Cup-winning team spend a day with it is just one of many reasons that it’s the best trophy in sports.

I’m so happy for Philippe. This was a crazy season for him. It was a crazy season for the Stars (and for the Pens, for that matter). It’s great that things worked out for him. I think I can stop being upset about his being traded. I wish he were still here, but I’m sure he’d say now that he’s glad he got to go to Pittsburgh.

Bouche’s pal, Stéphane Robidas, was one of his party guests. It sounds like he had some fun, too. His communing with the Cup might be just the mojo the Stars need this season.

Our inveterate GM has been working away. Joe Nieuwendyk has made a couple of moves in the last few days. I’m relieved to say that I’m fairly okay with the latest moves.

They highly-coveted Jonas Gustavsson picked a team where he’s likely to be the starter, which isn’t the Dallas Stars. So, since Joe pretty much had all his eggs in that basket, he had to scramble to find another goalie. (See what I did there?) I wasn’t too impressed with the free agent goalies that were out there, but I hadn’t considered trying a practically-free trade for one.

The Stars traded their sixth round pick to the Senators for Alex Auld. I am perfectly happy with that. Auld seems to be pretty capable of playing plenty of games, and still be okay with being the backup. He’s had some good years and some bad ones, but for a sixth round pick (that was really this year’s seventh-round pick), he’s fine. Maybe this will be one of his good years.

The Stars also added some more defensive depth in Jeff Woywitka. I don’t know much about him, but I could have sworn he was projected to be pretty good. Maybe it’s just because his name is unusual that makes me think he’s been talked about a lot. He’s not expensive or anything, so it’s not a bad deal.

There’s a lot of speculation about how the defense is going to shake out, now that there are eight defensemen on the roster. You really only need seven: six to play and one for the press box. And Zubov hasn’t even been signed. (I’m worried about Zubov, but that’s for another discussion.) I’m trying not to get worried, guessing what the plans are. I do not want any of the d-kids traded, and I don’t want to lose Trevor Daley, either. It would be a shame to put all the work in on developing those kids, and then give them to someone else to enjoy.

Last season was a bad one, for a myriad of reasons. Niskanen and Fistric struggled at the beginning, but they both pulled it out toward the end. These are learning experiences. Nightmare seasons are learning experiences for young players, whether they’re part of the problem or not. Three of the kids were in their sophomore season, which is historically the toughest. This season will show us if they’ve really learned from last season. I don’t want to see it happen on some other team.

Speaking of Mark Fistric, he’s been signed to a 3-year deal. I am thrilled about this. I am a big fan of Fistric’s. With all the clamoring for puck-moving offensive defensemen, the importance of a defensive defenseman has sometimes been overlooked. Fistric is one, and we need him.

When he came back up from Manitoba last season, he finished out the season very well. It was good to see him back there pushing people down and dragging people out of Marty’s crease.

I’m a little tense about the glut of defensemen, though. I hope they didn’t sign Fistric to a nice deal with the plan to trade him. We need him here. Woywitka and Hutchinson are nice for insurance, but Fistric needs to be out on the ice every night, with Nick Grossman by his side.

I was watching World Cup Hockey from 1996 on the great NHL Network, and it was pretty eye-opening.

The NHL Network was very nice to show an American triumph plus lots of American stats on the crawl at the bottom of the screen all day on the 4th of July. I think they also had a special about the U.S. Hockey Hall of Fame right after Game 3.

Now, 1996 is way before my time, but not so far back that I didn’t know anybody. Modano, Hull, Guerin, Hatcher, Weight, Tkachuk were there, and more that I had heard of but forgotten about. The Canadian side seemed to have more players that I know less. Joe Sakic and Steve Yzerman were about the only ones I have gotten to know. They had Gretzky and Fleury and Lindros and Odelein…guys like that.

Weight was being his old self, punching a guy in the head after the whistle (for a guy everybody says is “not that kind of player,” he sure acts like it a lot). Keith Tkachuk almost got his head whacked off when Lindros two-handed him over the back of the head with his stick. Then Tkachuk himself was kicked out of the game for whacking somebody else. Gretzky didn’t seem to be much of a factor.

I just have a couple of observations about that series and about what hockey must have been like in 1996 in general.

First of all, the NHL would be perfectly justified in telling me they told me so. I was beside myself with misery over the new Reebok uniforms when they came to town in the 2007-2008 season. I always liked the Stars designs, but I did not expect to like the cut and the fabric and the socks. They took some bug-fixing, but they’ve grown on me quite a bit since then, and I really hardly ever think about it any more.

So, seeing those jerseys in the World Cup was pretty jarring. They look like muumuus! Sweaty, disgusting muumuus. Gretzky’s just about reached his knees.

My conversion to the new uniform style is now complete. (Although I still am not sold on the material they use for the socks.)

Speaking of jarring, there was SO MUCH OBSTRUCTION! And nobody even complained! The backchecker basically wedged his stick under the forchecker’s arms, then let himself be towed like a water-skier into the zone. Defenders pulled forwards around by their shirt when the puck wasn’t even near them. Sticks kicked out skates and elbows crushed heads and nobody expected any help from the refs and didn’t get any. It was a mess. I didn’t like it.

It’s so much better now since they cracked down on the obstruction coming out of the lockout. There was so much bitching going on in the first couple of seasons about all the penalties, but I’m glad the League fought through it and kept it up. The game is much less slogging than what I see in those classic games. And you don’t have to go back all the way to 1996 to see the difference.

I’m telling you, the NHL Network is a wealth of information about past eras. Just watch any “Vintage Game” or “Classic Series” and see if that’s the kind of hockey you’d rather have.

I swear I never hear anything nice about hockey these days, even from hockey fans, but it really is better now than it’s ever been. We should enjoy it.

The Stars have signed a UFA!

Karlis Skrastins is our new veteran defenseman. The Stars wanted a veteran at a discount and I think he’s a good find.

Skrastins broke the record back in 2007 for consecutive games played by a defenseman at 495. He’s durable. He’s experienced and he’s a stay-at-home guy.

I think he’ll be good for what they want him for. He’ll bring some leadership and help Stéphane Robidas herd the d-kids around. It’ll be good for the Niskanen, Fistric, and Grossman to have him to lean on but still be the main guys. A higher-profile defenseman like Bouwmeester would have made at least one of them expendable.

I’m relieved Nieuwendyk didn’t go for Bouwmeester on the open market. He was too expensive and had too many suitors. He has no playoff experience and has been a big fish in a little pond for a long time. There’s no telling what he’s really like. I’m sure he’s a great defenseman, but you’d have to pay for him before you knew if he was a good fit.

The road to the playoffs is littered with teams that spend all their money on UFA day.

I’m happy with this signing. It leaves room for Zubov, if he wants to come back (pleeeease come back, Zubie) and it covers the need for a veteran at a bargain price. It’ll also give them a chance to give Ivan Vishnevskiy some time on their new minor league team before they bring him up.

Now, if we can get a cool right winger at a bargain that would be great.

If you’re not reading Down Goes Brown, you really should start. Besides watching Nik Hagman for signs of being traded back to the Stars, I have no interest in the Maple Leafs (sic). Still, this guy makes them fascinating.

Here, he lets us in on some Brian Burke conversations at the Draft.

(Dallas draft table.)

Burke: Hey Joe, got a second?

Joe Nieuwendyk: Sure Brian, what’s up?

Burke: I need a coffee. Two cream, no sugar.

Nieuwendyk: Um…

Burke: Stat.

Nieuwendyk: I’m not actually your assistant any more.

Burke: …

Nieuwendyk: Remember, I resigned two weeks ago?

Burke: …

Nieuwendyk: I’m the GM of the Stars now.

Burke: And an apple fritter.

Nieuwendyk: Right away sir.

Once again, Mike Heika tells us everything we need to know. One of the reasons I don’t get into out-and-out news on this blog is because it will always pale in comparison to Mike Heika’s work. I hope he never leaves us.

Just from an extremely high level, I think the draft went pretty well. The Stars bulked up on forwards after years of drafting defensemen and goalies. We have lots of defense prospects and now we’ll have lots of prospects at forward. They also picked several right-handed shots, too. Right-handed shots are rare, in general, not just in this organization, so they’ll be handy no matter how many they get. They can always trade any spares.

Scott Glennie was our first-round pick at 8th overall. Personally, I had only vaguely heard of him before that, but after reading a little about him, I’m thrilled. He sounds like a guy that is a good playmaker and a scorer while also being willing to be the guy that goes in to get the puck for his linemates.

He’s one of the right-handers, and it sounds like he and linemate (and #5 pick for the Kings) Brayden Schenn tore up their league last year. He’s fast, he’s talented, and he’ll have time to mature. I think it’s a good pick.

Alex Chiasson was picked by the Stars in the second round. Like Louis Leblanc, he’s from Quebec, but has been playing in the US Hockey League and plans to take the NCAA route instead of Juniors. He’s committed to Boston University. He’s also a right-handed right-wing.

Reilly Smith is the third pick. Another right-handed right wing. Also a college guy. He was picked quite a bit earlier than projected, but they were obviously in the market for some right-handers.

Tomas Vincour in the fifth round. Another right-hander.

Curtis McKenzie was the sixth-round and final pick of the draft for the Stars. He is thought to be a good leader and good player. He’s the odd left-winger that they picked.

Just from what I’ve read from Heika and his links, they all sound like players that can do something someday. These guys are not expected to help us right now, so there’s not an urgent need to draft defensemen. We have quite a few still in the pipeline. We also have some forwards that were drafted a couple of years ago that are just now starting to bubble to the top.

All in all, I’d say I’m optimistic about all of them. Heika was talking before the draft about how the salary cap has skewed the way teams (at least the Stars) are picking in the draft these days. The Stars used to draft grit and character and they’d buy skill and flash in the open market. Now that there’s a salary cap, it’s a better plan to draft the skill guys, so you have them when they’re reasonably-priced, and buy the grinders and energy guys on the open market.

Skill guys get a lot more money as free agents than the third-line energy guys. You still need them — you can’t win without them — but the market for them is totally different. You can always find some. Not so with the scoring/playmaking forwards and the elite puck-handling defensemen.

There are a couple of other guys to watch, too. At least two kids from the Dallas area were drafted this year. Chris Brown went to Phoenix at number 36. He grew up in Frisco and played with Dallas teams until he moved to Detroit.

Anthony Hamburg was taken by Minnesota in the seventh round. He’s been playing for the Dallas Stars Midget Major team.

We’re starting to see what having a hockey team in a non-traditional market does. Each new year brings new 5-year-olds to the game, and after the first 10 years, each new year brings a new 15-year-old or two into the realm of prospects. I’m not sure, but this might be the third year in a row that a Dallas-area kid has been drafted. It won’t be long before they’re in the league and making names for themselves. And a kid watching hockey and seeing somebody from his own hometown out there on the ice in the NHL is going to be even more excited about playing.

8:25 I think I’ll move over to Twitter for a while, if my hand doesn’t seize up. Thanks for dropping by the live-blog, Myra. And anybody else that did!

8:19 I think that’s all I can live-blog. It’s been 2 1/2 hours and it’s only the first half of the picks. Maybe I’ll just slow down a little. Maybe Minnesota at #16 goes up there and says that they pick Pierre to be co-GM!

8:16 Ducks are next. I wonder if I’m going to hate them as much now that they don’t have Pronger.
They pick Peter Holland. Hm. Maybe I should run over to dallasstars.com and see how that’s going.

8:12 I guess Buffalo was #13, because Florida just picked Kulikov at #14. I guess they couldn’t get anything for Bouwmeester yet. (Please, Stars, don’t get Bouwmeester.)

8:03 Awww. Ray Ferraro with his little boy! How sweet! (I like Ray Ferraro.)

Buffalo picks Zack Kassian. Ooh! A comparison to Lucic.

8:00 Buffalo’s up next. I hope they pick somebody good, for the sake of all my Buffalo fan friends. Is this #14?

You know, last year, when I was there in person, the Stars didn’t have a pick at all in the first round. It’s weird that we’ve already picked. I think a lot of Stars fans have probably left this show and are over on the Stars site learning about our new guy. I should do that, too, but I like the whole thing.

7:56 Interview with Pronger. I think they should ask him what his wife thinks of Philly. Duthie jokingly asks if he’s the missing piece in Philly and he basically says yes. He’s a peach. If he were anybody else, I’d feel sorry for him for the way Niedermayer strung the team along and got him traded by agreeing to come back to the Ducks for another year. But since he’s Chris Pronger, who cares.

7:53 TRADE! Oh, it’s a pick to the Islanders for picks the Islanders just got earlier. Yawn. The Islanders are up now. They selected Calvin DeHaan. Never heard of him.

7:49 The Stars are putting up Glennie links like crazy, and Ralph interviewed him already. I want to watch the rest of the draft! I want to go see this Glennie kid! I don’t have enough eyes.

7:46 Minnesota is up at #12. Are you SURE you don’t want Pierre to be your GM, Minny? He’s right over there! You can go talk to him right now!

7:44 Preds are up at #11. They pick Ryan Ellis. From Otter’s old team, the Windsor Spitfires! Hi, Otter!

7:37 Kevin Lowe. I couldn’t think of the Oilers’ GM’s name. It’s Kevin Lowe. The guy that makes fun of little children.

7:33 Oilers are up next. I saw a behind-the-scenes show about a previous draft and the Oilers GM pulled aside an innocent little kid wearing a Leafs jersey and made fun of him. I don’t like that guy.

The Oilers take ol’ Control-V!

7:28 I don’t have a problem with the Stars picking Glennie, mainly because I don’t follow it that closely. I don’t assume that mock drafts have all the answers. He was close to that rank, so that’s fine with me. If they’re drafting skilled guys, that’s fine. I don’t think drafting for what we need right now over the best player is a good idea, because it’ll be a year or two before he gets to town.

7:27 Ottawa picks Jared Cowan.

7:18 Wow! Look how big he is! I always think of Nieuwy as being average-sized.
Scott Glennie? Who the hell? Never heard of him. Pierre likes him. Sounds like a skilled guy. Not a bad idea.

7:17 DallasStars Twitter says a trade is possible! They need to get the pick first. They never get this high, don’t screw it up!

7:15 Stars up next! Nieuwy will get his chance to screw up the team, starting now.

7:12 Burkie makes no small talk at the podium. No thanks to Montreal or congrats to Sid and the Pens. He picks Nazim Kadri, but he’s obviously pissed. He’s all, “FINE! Get in the car, Kadri!”

7:05 The 6th pick is Ekman-Larsen. Were the Stars hoping for him? I’ve lost track. I’ve been clinging to Paarjave… what was it? That umlaut guy.

7:02 Columbus make a pick trade with the Islanders. Obviously it’s just to interrupt the proceedings.

6:59 Who’s next? Only 2 more picks until it’s our turn! Oh, it’s Phoenix? (Aside: Gretzky makes EIGHT MILLION dollars a year to coach the Yotes out of the playoffs every year. And they wonder why they’re out of money.)

6:57 Ooh! They picked Schenn. Brian Burke is pissed! That’s hilarious!
Two brothers in the top 5 in consecutive years is pretty impressive.

6:55 Luc Robitaille speech: zzzzzzzzz. Just make your pick, Kings! Sheesh!

6:50 Of course, Kovalchuck is welcome to demand a trade to the Stars if he doesn’t like him.

6:48 Is Evander a forward or a defenseman? I guess either one would be a big help for Kovalchuk.

6:45 Thrashers pick…(somebody to help Kovy?)…Evander Kane! Any relation to Pat Kane?

6:42 Duchene seems like a cool kid! Fun trick knowing everybody’s stick curve.

6:38 Colorado picks Duchene. I can’t believe the Avs have sunk so low that they’re picking third. (I probably shouldn’t throw stones, though.) Also, I can’t believe the crowd at the Isles arena and the ovation they gave their pick. That’s kind of sad.

6:36 Pronger trade confirmed. I’m so happy! Don’t let the screen door hit you on your way out of the West, Pronger!

6:35 Bob Gainey didn’t get where he is today by spilling his plans for Vinny.

6:34 I also started going top to bottom, time-wise, then changed, and now I think I should change back. (In the live-blog world, there’s no such thing as an un-expressed thought.)

6:32 I’m not sure about this live-blogging. I’m here, IPB, Twitter, email, and trying to watch TV. I ran out of attention long ago. And my hand hurts from typing.

6:27 Pick 2 is the Lightning. They got #1 last year. They pick…Victor Hedman! They need defense. Today!

6:24 As much as I loathe Pierre, I feel the opposite about James Duthie.
Ooh, Lupul for Pronger! Didn’t Anaheim used to have Lupul already!?

6:21 Wang brings his kid up on stage again this year.

6:19 John Tavares! They picked the guy everybody thought they’d pick forever. Pierre immediately jumps in and makes my ears bleed. I’m still mad at Minnesota for not hiring him as a GM.

6:17 Here we go! The Islanders pick…

6:14 Poor Bettman. That’s right, I said it.

6:10 Hearing that Pronger’s been traded to Philly! Wouldn’t that be great?!

6:09 Nobody knows whom the Isles will take. I hope it’s something crazy.

6:04 I like getting the TSN feed for something like this. The Bruins thing is a dead deal because they both thought they were getting the first-rounder from the other, it seems. Brian Burke is a nut, by the way.

Everybody should read Down Goes Brown, by the way. He’s a genius. Here’s how the Leafs are likely to feel on this “Christmas Morning.”

Kid: Socks? Underwear?
Dad: Merry Christmas!
Kid: But dad, didn’t you promise to trade up and get me a bike?
Dad: Daddy tried. Didn’t work out.
Kid: Maybe Daddy should spend more time working and less time talking to the media.
Dad: GO TO YOUR ROOM!

6:02 Darren Dreger says Heatley isn’t going to be traded at all. I want the Stars to pick Magnus Paajarvi Svennson, just so I can get people to call him “Control-Vee.”

6:00 – It’s starting now. I’m just going to make comments and post it later. I’m too chicken to do a live blog. I just know I’ll lose interest or get caught up in Twitter or something.

Rumors that Pronger’s about to be dealt. First it was going to be the Ducks, now I’m hearing Philly.

Congratulations go out to our very own Brett Hull for being inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame.

Hull had three seasons of 70 or more goals. In the 1990-91 season, he scored 86. As a post-wild-puck-era fan, I find 86 goals in one season completely incomprehensible. By the end of his career, he had scored 741 goals, to come in third all-time, behind Wayne Gretzky and Gordie Howe.

“It’s a great honor, it’s really unfathomable,” Hull said. “I mean, when you’re a kid, you dream about someday playing in the NHL or someday winning the Stanley Cup, but you just don’t think about this, so it’s hard to prepare yourself.”

Congratulations to the other inductees, Steve Yzerman, Luc Robitaille, Brian Leetch and Lou Lamoriello, too.

Nice watch!

I totally whiffed on my chance to do a nice post about the 10th Anniversary of the Dallas Stars’ Stanley Cup win! I missed the date, but I have really been enjoying the video and photo galleries and stories that the Stars have had up on their official site.

They have been posting highlights and post-games shows and photo galleries and links to newspaper articles for each game that the Stars won on their way to the Championship. It’s really been fascinating.

The latest batch of videos and pictures is especially fun. They have video from the locker-room from the CBC, and an especially cool bit of footage from the charter flight that night. Most of it doesn’t have sound (unless it’s just me), which makes me think they just decided to bleep that whole section.

I was a big Stars fan back then. I watched the entire playoffs. I stayed up all night that night watching three different local news channels trying to catch as much locker-room celebration as I could. The thing is, my memory of a lot of it is sketchy.

I remember Brett Hull sitting on top of the lockers with a big cigar, just grinning like mad. I remember Modano in tears most of the time. I remember everybody drinking from the Cup. I remember that I was grinning like mad the whole time.

I don’t remember the names of all the players, though. Some of them I don’t recognize watching them climb the stairs onto the plane. It’s not that it was so long ago, although it was. It’s mostly that I had no idea what was going on.

I didn’t realize it at the time, though. I thought I was a hockey expert! I could ramble on about penalty killing or offsides or icing and nobody I knew could correct me. They had no idea what I was talking about.

A lot of people got into that Cup run, me included. I had watched quite a bit the season before, but I didn’t schedule around games or anything. But that season I watched almost every game. And I watched every playoff game (I think). I wasn’t the only one. The entire city of Dallas was on the bandwagon with me. Hockey was on TV in the bars, even!

After we went to the Finals the next season and then started to fall back into the crowd over the next several seasons, the bandwagon lost a lot of its riders. But for some reason, I decided to stay. I never went back to my hockey-less life. Why is that?

The Dallas Stars charmed me that year with one hand behind their back. I hardly knew more than a few players. I knew when Nieuwendyk was on the ice. And Modano and Hatcher and Langenbrunner and Hull. And I knew Eddie Belfour was the guy they’d sunk all their hopes into. But that was about it.

Yet, I was hooked. I couldn’t let go. Even when Nieuwendyk and Langenbrunner were traded. Even when they missed the playoffs in 2002. Even during a whole year with no hockey!

I have often wanted to move on. Find something less heartbreaking to sink all my emotions into. Baseball entertained me a little. I tried to watch basketball during the lockout, but there were too many shots of Mark Cuban acting like an idiot. I couldn’t stick with it. I’m stuck with hockey.

Fortunately, hockey is the absolute best thing to be stuck with.

Go Stars!